Adventures in a motorhome – Part One – Buddy

We had one week in August, childfree and an opportunity to use a friend’s motorhome. So with two mountain bikes, a fridge full of cider, Rorie the dog and a plan to do a mini-tour of Scotland, we set off North. Happy days.

An opportunity arose to borrow a friend’s motorhome (Buddy) for our forthcoming one-week Scotland trip. Initially, we were going to take our beloved Bongo, but the thought of having space to sleep, eat and sit around without constantly making/unmaking beds, seats etc. was too exciting to miss. This was adventuring in luxury!

The motorhome

It was an old boy, with quirks and personality, no doubt about it, such as a temperamental fridge and lighting that we never figured out how to use with any consistency. However, if you love camping/campervanning and fancy a bit of ‘glamour’ whilst still experiencing the feeling of freedom and adventure, then I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

Like several of our camping/bongo friends – G and I – have discussed numerous times over the past few years what would be the best mode of holidaying for us as a family. Unable to decide between a small camper i.e. Bongo – with and without a trailer, a motorhome, trailer tent or even small caravan.

There are negatives when it comes to a motorhome:- They can be really expensive, you need somewhere to store it, it doesn’t make a great second vehicle, when you are on holiday then you don’t really want to drive it around every time you want a pint of milk

However the advantages of having one seems (to me) to outweigh the disadvantages:- you can ‘camp’ year round with kids, you get to sleep in a REALLY comfortable bed, you can have a wee in the middle of the night without putting your hiking boots and down jacket on, you can cook pizza and garlic bread easily (oven!), within reason – and with subtlety – you can camp anywhere and wake up in the most beautiful spots entirely alone.

But is it adventure? In my eyes and certainly in my 7 and 5 year olds eyes then it most certainly is. It’s just comfortable adventure! You still get to enjoy the outdoors but get a bit of luxury (and warmth) of a night.

So, to cut a long story to an end, we are converted! We have sold our beloved Bongo and pick up a third/fourth hand motorhome at the end of the month. It’s a six berth with a garage, so plenty of space for us, the kids, Rorie the dog, our bikes and all our other outdoor paraphernalia.

(Is it slightly sad to admit that I have dreamed of owning one since I was nine years old?)